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Blue Ridge Highlands Driving Tour

A Tour of Music, Crafts and Mountain Memories

Bristol

First stop: Bristol, where you'll find stories of epic proportions - many that are still being written today. Such as a recording session that spawned a musical genre and an old-fashioned racetrack that grew into the world famous Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR's most beloved venue. They're just two of the reasons that Bristol is "layin' down tracks and livin' up to legends!"

Visit the restored Birthplace of Tennessee Ernie Ford on the Tennessee side of Bristol as well as the Paramount Theatre right there on State Street. Bristol's State Street features country music murals and monuments and features live music throughout the summer and fall, such as the annual Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion in September.

Located near State Street is the Solar Hill Historic District, the first Bristol neighborhood to be listed as a Virginia Landmark and registered in National Historic Places. Read about how it got its name!

Abingdon

Drive into Historic Abingdon and see a performance at the Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia, which has been entertaining audiences since the Great Depression, when folks would "barter" something in exchange for admission.

Spend some time at The Arts Depot, where gallery exhibits highlight regional culture.

Saltville

Go northeast from Abingdon on Highway 107 to Saltville, "Salt Capital of the Confederacy," and stop by the Museum of the Middle Appalachians, with Ice Age exhibits, including a Wooly Mammoth skull, as well as Civil War and Woodland Indian exhibits. Head back to I-81 to Marion.

Marion

Further north on I-81 is the town of Marion, where you can take in a performance at The Lincoln Theatre, a Mayan Revival architecture movie palace built in the '20s and recently restored to its original glory. "The Song of the Mountains" - a live bluegrass and old-time General Francis Marion Hotel.

Meadows of Dan and Critz

Southeast of Meadows of Dan is Critz, where the R. J. Reynolds Homestead is located. This 19th-century homestead is open from May to October for tours and is a center for Southwestern Virginian arts, crafts and music.